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Is Your Smartphone Increasing Your Digital Security Risk?

We came from the desktops to laptops, now we are into smartphones. Telecommunication companies are getting more mobile subscriptions each day, with the numbers growing annually. As the smartphones continue to take over our lives, they gain greater power, speed and storage capabilities, taking over from the once-powerful laptops. They also expose us to security threats.

The Digital Risk

As the smartphones take over the digital enterprises, they become the target for risks and attacks. Cyber security threats are now targeting these devices because most companies prefer their employees to work from mobile devices. Most people have also decided to use mobile apps to make purchases and run their communication. This has become the target for hackers and phishers to get the information they want – illegally.

One of the sources of mobile threats is malicious apps. These apps mimic reputable apps from other companies to fool you into believing that you are entering your sensitive information into the real portal, when all you are doing is giving your passwords and credit card details to a scammer.

The App Store

Most users find it hard to use legal and genuine app stores to get their apps. Other “app stores” have come from the sides and offer better deals as compared to legitimate platforms. They tend to offer apps that are cracked so that they don’t have to pay for premium use. Most of these apps are bundled with ransomware that is out to steal sensitive data from the users.

Digital Insecurity “By Proxy”

Well, your company might not be at risk of these attacks through the mistake of your employees. However, you might still be exposed to the risk through malicious apps that get to your network through your customers’ actions. Your customers can be duped into downloading software or other programs that might in turn compromise your operations.

So, what can you do to prevent this from taking your company or your business down?

User Education

Understating these risks is the first step towards mitigating them. The second thing is to perform user education for your employees and customers. Warn them against installing apps from third-party app stores. They should also avoid installing cracked versions of common apps and stop allowing access to unknown processes.

Take Action

Finally, your company or business should monitor internal apps and take appropriate measures to mitigate any security risks. Do this by blocking the use of older, insecure apps, and resetting passwords regularly. Get more information by staying up to date with Global defense and military news and reading articles on the same.